Monday, October 31, 2005

Single and 31 -- A Halloween Tale

So, on Saturday night, I originally had three different events to attend. One volunteer event and two parties -- that's quite a bit of planned activity with others for me. So, of course, it didn't happen. One of the parties ended up being cancelled a few days before, but I was still looking forward to the evening's events.

I work with the Mount Vernon Citizens Advisory Council and try to assist with their events when possible. (They basically serve as an information group for citizens in my district and a morale/support group for the Mount Vernon police station.) So, the group decided to serve spaghetti dinners on Saturday night. It seems that the Saturday night before Halloween is the number one night for drunk driving. (Many people think it's New Year's Eve, but that's not true according to my police friends.) They decided to add to the fun by doing a costume contest at each meal serving. So, I made spaghetti and meatballs and trooped over there on about 7 p.m.

I arrive to find no one else had really dressed up much. All the other adults were dressed up as things like "Red Sox fan" and a terrorist (who looks like anyone with a coat and shoes on and a backpack). I however wore my wench outfit. This full costume consists of a linen blouse, full floor length skirt and a bustier/corset. I wear it to the Renaissance Faire each year in Maryland. It cost over $150 -- believe me, it's nice. I've got two silver pins -- one says "Goddess" and the other says "Yes, they are nice." I also have a wreath of flowers to wear in my hair. I wore it loose and kept "the girls" fairly under wraps since it was the police department.

I stayed a little over a hour and didn't even see the officers. There was definitely some communication issues about eating time. I have no idea if they even did the contest. I was a bit embarrassed because no one else had gone overboard like me in their dressing up. Of course, I'm also the youngest volunteer at this event(at least who was an adult -- there were a few kids under 10 years old). So, I stood out anyway and then I started thinking does this make me seem desperate. That I would dress up for the officers and put such an effort into it -- was someone going to think I was on the make? Crap. Thank God, my friend Rose called and said she was ready and on her way to my place, so I made my excuses and left.

Next, Rose picks me up at my place and we race off to pick up Anne. We're attending a party at a co-worker's condo in Virginia. I was excited about the party. This guy, Jack, is really cool, interesting and fun to talk with. His girlfriend even wrote a book, published earlier this year, on hosting the perfect party.

We went all out in our costumes. Rose dressed as Wonder Woman -- complete with 3 inch red high-heeled boots. Holly and I were both wenches and laced in so tight we could barely breath. The "girls" were as much on display as possible without being obscene.

So, you would think it would be great. I had heard of all the past fun. I convinced Rose to come because she got dumped last weekend and I thought it would cheer her up and convince her there are good ones left.

Wrong. It wasn't horrible, but we definitely thought it was a bit strange. The decorations were great and the set-up/layout of the parties was great, but the guest list appeared to be the problem.

First, there were three single women and one single guy. The guy was a huge, pompous Congressional staffer who thought he was a "big shot." The rest were all married - one even brought her 18 day old baby.

Second, there was no music -- none. They put on the Amityville Horror movie, but not very loud.

Third, the food was not hearty enough. Even if it is Halloween, you need to have something that is substantial just for the amount of alcohol being served. Not just candy.

Fourth, because it's a condo, we got a noise complaint from security. I assure you -- my house with me and 2 girlfriends in it was louder than that party.

So, by midnight, we were ready to go. But, how to exit gracefully? We basically said we had to go check out the other party, which would have been true if it was still happening. But, we had to get out of there.

The thing is if you have a party and you invite single people at all, you need to try to invite enough of them that there is someone for everyone to talk to. I felt really bad about Rose as this was her first foray back into the social scene as a single woman. Maybe we shouldn't have been invited. All of these people were Jack's girlfriend's friends from college and really knew each other. We were the only newcomers and maybe they just weren't prepared for how it changes the dynamic in the room.

Anyway, I may have looked good, but it really didn't give me an opportunity to meet anyone new. I was hoping...

You know, there's no rule about single people not talking to the marrieds :) You can totally mix. I mean, not every party is an opportunity to hook up (unfortunately)...it does sound like a weird party though, I mean, it's rude to invite only a few people who don't know anyone else. In that case, the host should have done a better job of drawing you in. No wonder people just don't do house parties anymore...and no food? That's terrible.

Single 31-year-old, Washington DC area resident. Work for the government, but not a fan of Dubya. Interested in travel, my friends, and world events. Oldest of four. Own a small fixer upper, which is still being fixed up.